Lutron

This new lighting showroom on Queens Quay champions custom fixtures

When good lighting does its job, you won’t even notice it’s there. That’s the philosophy of international lighting brand Lutron—a recent addition to Toronto’s growing designer showroom scene. Located along Queens Quay East, the experiental showroom looks out over a beautiful harbourfront skyline and the iconic silhouette of Sugar Beach’s pink umbrellas.

Open Gallery Modal

Designed by Toronto-based architectural firm iN STUDIO (the team behind reimagining the iconic Eames Molded Plastic Chair), the curved wooden walls and subtle architectural touches imbue the space with a sense of calm and a connection to the outdoors. Featuring the new Ketra D2 and Rania D2 downlights as well as Lutron’s Athena system—a lighting control system that embodies its intuitive control technology—its new location is positioned as a hub for creative events and gatherings, hosting anything from panel discussions and leadership events to immersive, sensorial experiences.

“We wanted to be downtown, immersed in the excitement of Toronto’s creative culture, and provide a space where architects and designers can explore the possibilities of lighting in an environment that truly reflects their world,” shares Rob Laterza, Senior Manager of Experience Centres at Lutron.

Open Gallery Modal

While this is not Toronto’s first interchange with the brand (Lutron previously had an address in Markham), its new 2,200-square-foot studio certainly displays an elevated edge—and an impressive array of customizable lighting schemes and LED fixtures. And for the full immersive effect, the team at Lutron can even colour-match the interior lighting to the exact vibrancy of the sky outside. 

In a demonstration by Laterza, a self-professed recovering architect and storyteller, we walk through a mesmerizing lighting story that starts with the warm, orange light of a fire and moves through the varying degrees of sunlight and moonlight. More demonstrations reveal a photo-matching tool, which can match the colour of an image in an instant, and vibrancy, which adds or removes light to tweak colour saturation—and is very common in art galleries and museums (Lutron has products at the ROM).

Open Gallery Modal

Forever fighting against ‘sad grey light’, the new location can be completely transformed with a wide range of customizable lighting. Plus, a selection of light-proof window shades. And with Lutron’s scene setting technology, these custom colour schemes can be packaged together and turned on or off with the press of a button.